Spain makes its largest-ever cocaine seizure at sea in U.S.-aided operation dubbed “White Tide”

Spanish police announced on Monday their largest-ever seizure of cocaine at sea after impounding a Europe-bound container ship in the Atlantic Ocean carrying almost 10 tons of the drug.

Officers last week raided the Cameroon-flagged vessel, which had left Brazil, seizing 9,994 kilograms (22,033 pounds) of cocaine concealed in 294 packages in a shipment of salt, police said in a statement.

They arrested the 13 crew members and seized a firearm used to protect the stash in an operation involving U.S., Brazilian, U.K., French and Portuguese authorities, the statement added.

Police released a 4-minute video on social media showing officers on a speed boat intercepting the alleged drug-trafficking ship and multiple suspects being escorted off the vessel and into custody. The footage also shows U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents on the scene, where officers are seen digging through mounds of salt to uncover the alleged drugs.

“This operation, dubbed White Tide, represents the largest cocaine seizure on the high seas ever made by the National Police,” the statement said.

The ship ran out of fuel and remained adrift in the water for almost 12 hours before being towed to the Canary Islands, police said.

“This represents a decisive blow to international criminal networks involved in maritime cocaine trafficking, demonstrating the effectiveness of international police cooperation in the fight against global drug trafficking,” police said in a statement.

Spain’s close ties with Latin America and proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer, make it a key entry point for drugs into Europe.

Last October, Spanish police seized 6.5 tons of cocaine and arrested nine people after a U.S. tip-off led them to raid a ship off the Canary Islands.

In June 2025, police forces dismantled a drug trafficking ring that used what authorities called high-speed “narco boats” to smuggle large quantities of cocaine from Brazil and Colombia to the Canary Islands. The ring allegedly used an abandoned shipwreck as a refueling platform for the speedboats.

In 2024, Spanish police impounded 13 tons of cocaine from a container ship that had arrived at the southern port of Algeciras from Ecuador, the country’s largest-ever haul of the drug.